The five branding elements I’ve covered in this series are clarity, colours, fonts, logos, and consistency.
Once you’ve selected your brand colours and fonts, the third element in the branding process to devote your attention to is your logo.
Your brand is not just the logo. And creating your logo is not just slapping your colours and fonts together or putting your business name into an automated hipster logo program from the latest trend.
Your logo should be a visual marker of your brand’s mission, vision, values, clients and customers, and industry.
Creating a logo is part design principles, part artistic intuition, and part business strategy.
Done well, it’s the next level of brand recognition that makes you irresistible to your audience.
A logo that sets you apart in your industry is vital for magnetic, irresistible brands.
Let’s take a look now at the different categories of logos. While you’re reading about the logo types below, think about the kind of brand you’re building and which logo category might best support your business goals.
The 3 Primary Logo Categories
Symbol or Icon Logos
These are logos that don’t include text. They’re simple, bold, and recognizable.
Most brands use a symbol or icon logo as a secondary logo or as their favicon (that tiny image which appears in the browser bar in a website).
It’s more challenging for new businesses and small businesses to have a symbol logo that stands alone. Without the marketing dollars of big corporations, brand recognition is more feasible with the inclusion of words.
Letter Mark and Word Mark Logos
A letter mark logo uses one to three letters as the visual image (typically the first letter of the name). A word mark logo uses text to spell the name of the brand.
A letter mark logo is a great option for personal brands. Word mark logos are the most popular types of logo because it repeats your company name (which helps with brand recognition). Letter mark logos are another common option for website favicons.
Emblem Logos
For some brands, it makes sense to actually combine a symbol and word, and for those there’s the emblem logo option. This is a stylistic combination of an image and text.
Emblem logos are popular because they include the best of both worlds—graphics and text—and can be created with multiple display options for use in a wide variety of places, on- and offline.
Based on the stage your business and brand is in right now, which type of logo might best represent your brand in the world?
I’d be lying if I said creating logos—amazing logos—was easy. It’s one of the most challenging parts of the branding process for both the designer and business owner.
But logo design is also the most fun and creative because we’re bringing together all the elements of your brand into one graphic representation.
Done well, your logo is an ambassador for your brand, working for you day and night wherever it appears.
P.S. If your old logo is no longer living up to the business you’ve created, or if you have a business idea that’s keeping you up at night and could really use a logo, you’re in luck. I’ve got a limited number of spots available in 2017 for my Signature Design service. You’ll walk away with a website and brand that will open people’s hearts, minds, and pocketbooks.